The Social Samta Manch has issued an ultimatum to the Democratic Front government to issue a notification and allocate land from Hindoo Mills, adjacent to the Chaitya Bhoomi at Shivaji Park.
The Social Samta Manch has issued an ultimatum to the Democratic Front government to issue a notification and allocate land from Hindoo Mills, adjacent to the Chaitya Bhoomi at Shivaji Park.
Manch members say the state government, central minister and state minister for textiles had promised to reserve land for constructing a memorial of national stature for Dalit leader Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.
“We have had to resort to andolans and protests for the government to even hear us out on the land issue. We asked for 12-and-a-half acres,” said Vijay Kamble, chairperson of the manch.
Kamble alleged that the government was delaying issuing notification and they had issued a warning asking to begin the process immediately. “We are giving August 15, as the deadline for issuing notification for allocating land. The government seems to be delaying it for no good reason. This is an insult to Dr Ambedkar who was a national icon. We will go on fast unto death if this deadline is not met,” said Kamble.
The manch members circulated a picture depicting plans for the memorial. The spokesperson said the state government would not have to bear any cost for the proposed memorial.
“We have drawn up the plan and roped in a good architect. There will be a garden, statue of Dr Ambedkar and a library of international standards,” said Kamble. He added, “Dalits across the world have promised to pool in funds and resources and the state will not have to part with any funds,” Kamble said.
The government said the process for reserving the land had begun. The minister for textiles, Maharashtra government, clarified that only 4 acres of land would be reserved.
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